MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned "terrorists" they face total destruction, after Russia was hit by double suicide bombings in its southern city of Volgograd that claimed 34 lives.

"Dear friends, we bow our heads in front of the victims of the terrible acts of terror. I am sure we will toughly and consistently continue to fight against terrorists until their total destruction", he said in a New Year's address in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russian news agencies said.